JAKE XERXES FUSSELL: FROM DUST TO HARMONY, REDISCOVERING LONG LOST MELODIES
Crystal Ballroom October 11, 2024
How good was the last concert you went to see? The ability to answer that question may be more difficult than you think. It can be hard to know if a concert is truly something special, even if in the moment you're convinced it is extraordinary. Ask a friend and they are likely to describe a concert they've recently seen as "amazing", "fantastic", "incredible" or "unbelievable".
However, there are a lot of influences that shape our often overly inflated positive reactions to live music, including our own expectations. People go to see live music expecting to enjoy the experience. We go expecting to have a good time, especially since we're probably pretty familiar with the artist and already a fan of the music. In addition to being emotionally invested, we are probably financially invested, sometimes significantly. And the greater the financial investment, the greater the chances that the physical environment is also greatly enhanced to influence our experience. In the moment, it's very hard to assess just how good any performance really is, even for those who are performing.
However, there are those few times when you see a performance that is so profound, you know without question that you've witnessed something uniquely special and truly remarkable. That was the case on Friday night October 11 when Jake Xerxes Fussell took the stage at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Jake Xerxes Fussell is the son of renowned folklorist, painter, writer, and documentary photographer, Fred C Fussell. Jake's mother, Cathy Fussell is also an accomplished artist and director of the Columbus State University Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians.
From an early age, Jake was influenced by his parent’s work and the wide variety of artists and musicians who came through his childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. He has said that he has always known he would be a musician. “I always knew I would play music because music was the thing that was a constant source of joy,”
At the age of about 12, Jake started teaching himself to play guitar, encouraged and coached by those around him. By his late teens Fusell was playing in local bands. Eventually he found himself at the University of Mississippi, where he earned a master’s in Southern Studies for his research into Choctaw fiddle music.
Before releasing his debut album, Fussell recorded vernacular Southern Music in the field with music historian George Mitchell and Grammy Award-winning folklorist Art Rosenbaum.
If Fussell wasn't such an impassioned artist it could be said he's a music historian, academic or American folk music archivist.
Since 2015, Fussell has released four albums on the Paradise of Bachelors label. His self-titled debut album is composed entirely of adapted folk and blues songs. Fussell's fifth and latest album, "When I'm Called, released on Fat Possum Records was announced on April 17, 2024 along with the release of the album's first single, "Going to Georgia". The album features both traditional and some not so traditional songs.
What sets Fussell apart in the folk music landscape is his deep knowledge of music histoty, a profound understanding of traditional American music, paired with a creative flexibility that allows him to reinterpret and revitalize classic and long forgotten songs. He is not merely a custodian of the past; he is an innovator, breathing new life into the music he cherishes. He is both a caretaker and a remodeler of songs, not simply regurgitating what he has learned but also appyling his creative genius to make old songs sound new and relevant.
Fussell has been playing with a variety of musicians and formats but on this night in Somerville he was simply accompanied by Ben Whiteley on acoustic bass, who paired beautifully with Fussell’s stripped down acoustic and perfectly brilliant telecaster guitar tone. The sound at the Crystal Ballroom and the transfixed and silent crowd made it possible to savor every note the duo played. The set included some of Fusells most popular compositions, tradional folk, sea shanties and covers including a rendition of Nick Lowe’s “I love the Sound of Broken Glass”
Fussell's down to earth style and relaxed banter won over the crowd when they weren't awe struck by the rich and beautifully textured music Fussell and Whiteley presented.
Stripped down to its most elemental, the sorrow, joy and good humor of each song along with Fussell's talent came shining though in all it’s elegance evoking more honest and simple times.
Jake Xerxes Fussell is truly a unique talent not to be missed, especially when performing in a venue like the Crystal Ballroom, where the music can be presented with such clarity and can shine so brightly.... And if you do follow my advice and go see Jake Xerxes Fussell, be sure to bring all the freinds you know who love and appreciate live music. You'll be sure to regret it if you don't.
